A craft beer and home brewing geek's tale.

Review: Victory Headwaters Pale Ale

I took my first foray into reviewing beer last week during Lost in the Beer Aisle’s call for guest reviews. I enjoyed writing the review, and I figured that if I’m going to be drinking beer, I might as well review it here on the blog!

Appearance: Poured from a 12oz bottle into a pint glass. Had a full head that faded relatively quickly but did leave some minor lacing. Perfect golden color and super clear. I could look straight through to the computer screen and see what I was typing.

Aroma: The biggest thing I can smell here is hops, citrus and floral. It’s not an overpowering holy crap in your face hop aroma by any means. I can best describe it as mellow but unmistakable. My palate isn’t advanced enough yet to pick out much else, but that’s OK, because it smells great.

Mouthfeel: This is very crisp and easy to drink. It’s not syrupy at all. There’s nothing “coating” your tongue or mouth. Just a nice, easy to drink beer that goes down smooth.

Flavor: There is a very good balance here of hops and malt. You can definitely taste the hops, but they’re not bitter at all. In my opinion, it’s at the “hoppier” side of a pale ale, but I don’t mind it because it’s not terribly bitter. It’s purely a crisp piney/citrusy flavor which is nice. There is the sliiiiightest bit of a bitter bite after you swallow, but it’s really nothing to write home about. Since this is a pale ale, I’d say it it fits the bill nicely.

Final Thoughts: It’s crisp, flavorful, and goes down easy peasy. The color is beautiful, the lacing is fancy, and overall it’s a nice, drinkable pale ale. I read some other reviews that mentioned it wasn’t very hoppy or citrusy, but that’s the exact opposite of what I found. I really enjoyed drinking this beer, and whether you’re a newbie or a hophead, I think you will too.

P.S. It paired very well with a plate of boneless buffalo wings. The slight hop bitterness was a nice balance and compliment to the hot and spicy wings.